Rob Fahey (Page 153)

Publisher Atari has announced its results for the first quarter of financial 2003/04, revealing a boost in sales and operating profit provided by the successful launch of movie tie-in Enter The Matrix.

The complete spec for the forthcoming PSP has been announced, revealing a versatile multimedia system much closer to the PS2 in power than expected, and even outperforming its home console sibling in certain areas.

In a trading statement issued today, Eidos has announced that following a review of both the Tomb Raider franchise and Core Design, development on the series is to be moved to the Crystal Dynamics studio in the USA.

UK developer Warthog has announced its financial results for the year ended March 2003, showing a major climb in turnover and profits (pre exceptional costs) as the studio grows into one of Europe's largest.

Speaking to developers in Tokyo today, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi has confirmed that the PlayStation Portable will come equipped with wireless networking functionality.

The Japanese games industry trade body, the Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA), has released its annual white paper outlining the performance of the market in Japan, revealing a significant decline in the region.

The first Game Boy Advance outings for the massive Pokemon franchise, Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, have taken the two top spots in the UK sales charts and driven the market to its highest point since mid-March.

The vital Christmas line-ups for both the Xbox and the GameCube are beginning to look increasingly sparse, with key titles such as Big Blue Box' Fable and Square Enix' Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle slipping to 2004.

Another British development studio appears to have shut down, with Croydon based HotGen reportedly laying off its entire development staff with the exception of one team and entering liquidation procedures.

Console giant Nintendo is set to have a presence at ECTS this year for the first time in three years - but it won't be within the event hall, instead opting for a large tour bus outside the Earls Court venue.

The beginning of summer holidays in Japan has seen a marked improvement in software sales, with Konami's Jikkyo Power Pro Baseball 10 topping the charts and other key new releases also selling strongly.

Global sales of the PlayStation 2 may well have peaked, with Sony's results for the quarter ended June 30 revealing a steep decline in sales of the console and a drop in overall revenues for the games division of the corporation.

Publisher THQ has announced its financial results for the first quarter, ended June 30, revealing a major climb in revenues thanks to the success of Pixar movie tie-in Finding Nemo.

A new poll of the best brands in the USA has placed Sony in the number one spot for the fourth year in a row - ahead of console rival Microsoft, which has nonetheless shot up to fifth place this year.

Infinium Labs has changed the date for the public unveiling of its Phantom networked PC gaming device following the sudden postponement of the Ultimate Gamers Expo, choosing now to reveal the device online instead.

Giant publisher Electronic Arts has announced its financial results for the first quarter of its financial year, revealing a massive 148 per cent leap in profits over last year and exceeding all analyst expectations.

Los Angeles based Conspiracy Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against rapper Eminem claiming that the entertainers management company is guilty of fraud and breach of contract over a potentially lucrative game licensing deal.

Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Sega president Hisao Oguchi has outlined his future ambitions for the company - including a target of doubling the company's global market share in the next five years.

Publisher Activision has announced its results for the first quarter of fiscal 2004, revealing a small profit which beat analyst forecasts of a break even quarter, but forecasts for the rest of the year are down.

The industry-wide probe of videogames companies by the Securities and Exchange Commission is now known to extent to four publishers - but key analysts believe that the investigation will exonerate the industry's accounting practices.